File photoThree people were arrested today after allegedly attempting to carjack a woman who ignored two gun shots and sped away with her two daughters in their SUV, police said.

ELIZABETH — Three people were arrested today after allegedly attempting to carjack a woman who ignored two gun shots and sped away with her two daughters in their SUV, police said.

The failed carjacking happened at 3:30 p.m., as the woman and her daughters, ages 8 and 16, were leaving Jersey Gardens in their BMW X5, said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for Port Authority police. The woman was approached by a man who demanded she turn over the vehicle and fired two shots into the pavement, Della Fave said.

"She basically punched the gas and got out of there," Della Fave said.

The mall is next to the Port Authority Marine Terminal in Elizabeth, where the woman drove up to police.

Port Authority and Elizabeth police then combed the area, where Della Fave said they encountered an Acura that contained the assailant, another man and a woman.

The alleged assailant, Terrell D. Melvin of Newark, faces charges of carjacking, aggravated assault, and weapons charges, Della Fave said. He said prosecutors were weighing charges against the other two, April Sharpe, 31, who lives with Melvin, and Darrell Washington, 26, of Newark.